ABSTRACT
Climate change is the fastest growing global threat to heritage sites. Responding quickly and appropriately to this threat can be challenging as the intersections between culture and climate are not straightforward. They include issues of justice and equity including differences in inclusivity, language and terminology, and the relationships between climate hazards, impacts, and vulnerability. These topics are discussed in this chapter which proposes that climate risk management must be built upon a foundation which acknowledges plural yet equally valuable knowledge systems. A key part of this is acknowledging the unique contributions of each to understanding climate impacts, vulnerability, and response. Specifically, the role of culture and heritage in climate communication and stressing urgency and the contribution culture can make to both adapting to climate change and to greenhouse gas mitigation will be explored. It will also present a case study from a community focused and values-led vulnerability assessment which attempted to explore some of the aforementioned topics in more detail, including differences between risk and vulnerability, local and community knowledge, and the need to view climate impacts and action differently from other disaster risk responses.
